Hurricane Katrina: Graphic - What Went Wrong The Washington Post produced a timeline tracking Hurricane Katrina's path and listing the federal, state and local responses to the storm before and after it hit the Gulf Coast (updated thru 10/05)

Parishes: Jefferson

August 08, 2007

BATON ROUGE, La. (August 7,2007)-Today, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) released
findings from the first study of post Katrina and Rita migration patterns across
South Louisiana. This study, known as the Migration Patterns Report, identifies
parishes that experienced significant population losses in the aftermath of the
2005 storms and indicates to which parishes these individuals have relocated.
The report also highlights regions that experienced significant population gains
and indicates from where these individuals migrated.

"Katrina and Rita initially displaced hundreds of thousands of
people across South Louisiana," said Dr. Calvin Mackie, a member of the LRA
Board of Directors. "This displacement and the unprecedented losses and gains in
overall population have had a significant impact on parish planning and
resources. We hope this report will begin to fill a critical data and
information void about our citizens-one that is needed to make informed policy
choices and investments in our long-term recovery."

Key findings of this study include the following:

Orleans parish had the largest out-migration in total numbers. Migrants from
Orleans parish tended to be dispersed further away with about two-thirds of the
out-migrants moving beyond the surveyed parishes or out of state.

Percentage-wise, St Bernard had an even greater loss with about
three-fourths of its pre-Katrina population leaving the parish. About one-third
of those displaced out of parish went to St Tammany parish and approximately
another third went outside of the survey area or out of state.

The more rural parishes of Plaquemines and Cameron also had significant
losses. However, in these parishes a higher percentage was able to relocate
within the same parish and more were able to relocate elsewhere in Louisiana.

There were a high number of migrations within each parish; an estimated
46,000 Orleans parish residents moved elsewhere in Orleans due to Katrina;
Plaquemines and St Bernard both had about 5,000 residents each move within the
parish boundaries. Cameron parish had about 2,000 residents move within the
parish; compared to 2,600 residents that relocated outside the parish due to the
hurricanes.

Jefferson parish ranked second in overall storm-related
out-migrations with about 70,000. Like Orleans, Jefferson parish evacuees were
generally dispersed further. In addition, they had significant challenges with
35,000 displacements within parish while picking up approximately 51,000
in-migrants from other devastated parishes such as Orleans, St Bernard and
Plaquemines.

Despite losing an estimated 10,000 residents due to the storms,
St Tammany parish actually experienced a population gain with an influx of about
15,000 from the southern impacted parishes. A larger number of these in-migrants
came from St Bernard parish than the much larger Orleans parish.

Simultaneously they had over 15,000 residents move within
parish due to the storms and they picked up another 5,000 or so residents not
related to the storms.

The estimates described in this report are based on the 2006
Census Bureau annual population estimates combined with updated data collected
from door-to-door surveys in 18 parishes across Southern Louisiana. These
surveys were conducted approximately 15 months following the hurricanes in the
following parishes: Ascension, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, Iberia,
Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St Charles,
St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion and Washington.

Surveys were conducted by the Louisiana Public Health Institute
on behalf of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana
Recovery Authority, with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau. Complete and updated survey
results - including demographic breakdowns, insurance coverage information and
more from the 2006 Louisiana Health & Population Survey - are available
online at www.popest.org

The LRA's Migration Patterns Report was released in conjunction
with two other studies conducted by the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps and
researchers at Louisiana State University (LSU).

The Recovery Corps survey, titled Where Did They Go and Are They
Coming Back, provides an analysis of displaced Louisianans living in other
states and discusses barriers they have identified to returning. This report is
available online at www.recoverycorps.org.

The Louisiana FEMA Park Survey, which was conducted by LSU and
the LSU AgCenter on behalf of the Recovery Corps, the Department of Labor, and
the LRA, includes information about the past, present and future plans of
trailer park residents in addition to information about their education, health,
employment and income status. This report is available online at www.lra.louisiana.gov.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana,
claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses.
The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body
that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux
Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The
LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting
community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and
planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. To learn more, visit
www.lra.louisiana.gov.

July 14, 2007

As Jefferson Parish still awaits millions of dollars in
reimbursements for emergency-repair spending after Hurricane Katrina,
its finance director, Gwen Bolotte, has grown increasingly weary of
delivering the same records again and again to FEMA or state disaster
recovery officials. With money just now beginning to flow to bigger infrastructure
repair projects, she blames a revolving door of FEMA officials and
relentless document requests from the state. Continue at the Times-Picayune.

December 08, 2006

GRETNA, La. (AP) - Officials in Jefferson Parish are longing to say goodbye to the travel trailers that have become temporary, if long-term, homes for people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.The parish's ban on trailers and storage units in yards was lifted after Katrina so people could live in the their yards while working on their houses. But the exemption is scheduled to expire March 31st and parish officials plan to confirm that date at a meeting next week. More at wafb.com.

Governor Blanco Proposes Plan to Give $100 Million in Grants to Small Businesses

Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) announced Thursday a proposal that would give $100 million in grants to small businesses severely affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Governor Blanco recommended that $100 million of the economic development disaster recovery programs be reallocated to provide much-needed grants to small businesses. This amount is in addition to the $38 million already allocated for no-interest loans. The additional funds would provide financial relief to sustain and restart small businesses in the most severely impacted areas, primarily in Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and Cameron Parishes.

This will require an action plan amendment for approval by the LRA Board of Directors, the full legislature and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The LRA, LED and partners at Office of Community Development and the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority are working to expedite this process.

The Action Plan amendment will be available for public comment beginning Friday, Dec. 8. The LRA Board will vote on the recommended changes on Thursday, Dec. 14. The Action Plan amendment will then go to the full legislature for a vote and will subsequently be sent to HUD for final approval.

For more information on the proposed plan and to view the eligibility requirements for the program, please click here.

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to Hold Public Meetings Next Week

Next week, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority will hold several public meetings across south Louisiana to give residents an opportunity to voice their opinions about the state's preliminary coastal restoration plan.

In December 2005, the Louisiana State legislature established the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) as the single state entity to focus development and implementation efforts for comprehensive coastal protection.

Over the past year, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has developed a comprehensive master plan for coastal protection integrating the two goals of hurricane protection and coastal restoration.

For additional information about the master plan, contact the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority at (225) 376-7707 or visit www.louisianacoastalplanning.org.

SBA Administrator to Hold Roundtable Discussion

The newly appointed SBA Administrator, Steve Preston, will hold a round table meeting to discuss disaster recovery loans at 6 p.m. Monday, December 11 at the Harrah's Casino at 228 Poydras in New Orleans.

The public is invited to attend to voice their concerns with the Disaster Home Loan Program. Loans, collateral, documentation, loan processing time and other issues will be discussed.

Last weekend, the Unified New Orleans Plan, with support from Americaspeaks, brought together 2,250 displaced New Orleanians spread over five cities, to discuss various scenarios for how their communities should recover and rebuild.

In the unprecedented event, participants in New Orleans, Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Dallas and Houston were linked using interactive TV. After hearing the various recovery strategies, citizens used keypads to express their preferred recovery plans. The results were tabulated immediately and simulcast to the entire Community Congress.

In addition to the five major cities, New Orleans residents living in 16 other cities around the country congregated at libraries to view and submit their ideas over the Internet.

The information from this meeting will be used as part of the final UNOP recovery scheduled to be completed by the second week of January. The final recovery plan will be presented to the New Orleans City P lanning Commission, City Council and Mayor C. Ray Nagin for approval. Once approved, the plan will be given to the Louisiana Recovery Authority.

Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans Reopens on Canal Street

The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, the city's premier luxury hotel, reopened this Monday following severe building damage incurred from Hurricane Katrina. Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Joe Horn, Scott Fujita and Mickey Loomis of the NFL New Orleans Saints checked in as the first guests of the newly renovated hotel.

Known as the "Crown Jewel of the Crescent City," the 527-room luxury hotel underwent a $100 million renovation over the last 15 months. The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans is the only hotel in the state of Louisiana to be named an AAA Five Diamond property.

December 02, 2006

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The final results of a summer population check indicate that New Orleans has about 40% of the population it had before Hurricane Katrina hit 15 months ago while neighboring Jefferson Parish has almost as many residents as it did before the storm. Continue at wafb.com

November 29, 2006

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Even among the best-off post-Katrina returnees to New Orleans and neighboring Jefferson Parishe - those living in houses or apartments, rather than trailers - about one-third say they may leave the area within the next two years, a small poll indicates.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge refused to throw out a lawsuit for damages from Hurricane Katrina's floods, saying the language excluding water damage from some policies is ambiguous.The 85-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. covered several cases that had been consolidated because they were similar. He immediately sent the decision to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for review.

The public gets its first chance to comment on the state's draft plan to restore coastal wetlands and protect coastal communities from hurricanes on Wednesday at the University of New Orleans. The plan, written by a team from the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Transportation and Development, represents the state's first post-Katrina attempt to choose from among an array of proposals for larger levees, surge-blocking gates and large diversions of fresh water and sediment. Once finalized, the plan will be presented to the Army Corps of Engineers for inclusion in the corps' own recommendations to Congress on how the state's coastline should be restored and communities protected.

NEW ORLEANS — Fifteen months after Hurricane Katrina, the corporate exodus from New Orleans continues unabated. Floodwaters are gone from the streets but one CEO after another said corporate plans to be a part of a New Orleans recovery circled the drain along with it.Just last week, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold pulled off a $26-billion merger to become the largest copper trader on Earth — then promptly moved its headquarters to Phoenix.

Over the past few days I've been writing about Post Santa - www.postsanta.com - a new bulletin board focused on Christmas wish fulfillment for hurricane impacted families. I am delighted to report that we have heard from many folks who stand ready to adopt a family this Christmas - They represent people from schools and businesses along the Gulf Coast who are saying, "Where's a family I can adopt, I am ready to do this now"! So while we have adopters lined up, we've yet to hear from families who want to be adopted - and I know there are many folks who could use the extra help this Christmas. And here's the thing. To make this special the adopters need time. If the adoption is a group effort, they need to inform people, collect money, gifts, and get them to their adopted families. So if you are family in need or if you know of a family in need, please let us know. To get the particulars, head to the site.

October 10, 2006

Data on health insurance coverage, home ownership, mental health and more are downloadable at www.popest.org

BATON ROUGE, La. (October 9, 2006) - The complete results of a new door-to-door survey of people living in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes are now available online at www.popest.org.

The full reports for these four initial parishes include data on age and gender make-up, as well as information on the black, white and Hispanic populations. In addition, there is information on home ownership, mental health and health insurance coverage.

The study, done with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Census Bureau, is the first of its kind since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. As of August 2006, the survey estimated ! the population of Orleans Parish to be 187,525 residents. Jefferson Parish had 435,786 residents, Plaquemines Parish had 20,024 residents and St. Bernard Parish had 25,016 residents.

The comprehensive household survey was conducted by the Louisiana Public Health Institute on behalf of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA). Work began in June with technical assistance provided by the CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau.

"We were pleased to join the state of Louisiana in this substantial undertaking," said Alden Henderson, chief of the Health Investigations Branch at CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

"We used a Census Bureau method to select neighborhoods, housing units and individuals to survey. We adapted this method to address the unique challenges facing the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina," Henderson said.

The CDC assisted by helping to trai! n the surveyors, design the survey protocol, determine when and how to revisit households and how to capture the data. Like the decennial census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, it does not include those who commute into the city. In addition, the survey does not include institutionalized populations such as prisons and dormitories and has no projection of those that plan to return.

Funding for the 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey was from the CDC, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals - Office of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control Foundation.

The survey process began in June of this year, when survey teams visited neighborhoods and left behind survey information packets on doors. The packets included instructions, the survey form and a letter from Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Dr. Cerise. The letter explained the project and its importance. The teams later returned to the homes where packets had been left in order to survey residents in person.

Throughout the ! process, survey team members wore project t-shirts and carried official badges identifying them as members of 2006 Louisiana Health and Population Survey team.Source: Louisiana Recovery Authority

Publisher

Margaret Saizan is a digital media producer, visual arts rep & vision strategist. Her mission is to inspire new vision through transformational media and communications.

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